Quick gassing tilt valve



April 15, 1969 R, H G 3,438,408

QUICK GASSING TILT VALVE Filed Jan. 24, 1966 INVENTOR RICHARD C. HUG

BY w I ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,438,408 QUICK GASSING TILT VALVE Richard C. Hug, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to The Clayton Corporation of Delaware, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Jan. 24, 1966, Ser. No. 522,542 Int. Cl. B65d 5/72 US. Cl. 141-20 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE For use on aerosol cans, provision is made for fast insertion of pressurizing gas through a tilt dispensing valve. As in conventional tilt dispensing valves, a sealing grommet and sleeve sealedly mounts a tubular spout valve in the rimmed opening of the container top wall having an outflow port adjacent to its head within the can. In the present invention the stem has a large gassing port through its wall at a higher level, and an external bead above this level. When the stem is pressed axially inward the sealing sleeve is compressed against the rim of the top wall opening; thus preventing the escape upward of pressurizing gas.

The present invention relates to dispensing valves for gas-pressurized dispensing containers, and particularly to the type which has a rigid tubular walled spout and a rubber grommet-mount seal member by which mounting is elfected within the top wall of a single-use dispensing container. Usually such valves operate by tilting the spout, which opens a valve head within the container, laterally from its seat on the seal member. For gassing the valve spout is displaced axially from the seat, and the gas is introduced by a gassing head or similar apparatus, through the spout tube and out into the container through its lateral ports, which serve, during dispensing, as the spout flow inlets.

If the spout flow inlets are designed to be very small, to regulate the rate of dispensing, the rate of inflow of the pressurizing gas will be consequently reduced, requiring a gassing time which is excessive for commercial operations. Alternately, gas has been filled into the container in refrigerated liquid state; but this is undesirable for quantity production.

A purpose of the present invention is to utilize such a valve with constricted inlets, but with fast gassing which proceeds through the tubular spout of the valve. A further object is to permit such fast gassing without sacrificing the secure sealing of the sleeve against the cylindrical wall portion of the spout above its constricted flow inlets.

I accomplish these objectives in the present invention (as well as the other purposes apparent from this disclosure) by providing the cylindrical wall portion immediately above the level of the container top, with a large arcuate slot which serves as a pressurizing gas outlet. When the gassing equipment depresses the spout a substantial distance during the gassing operation, to open the valve downward, this gassing outlet moves downwardly below the level of the container top. The pressurized gas introduced into the tip of the spout by this gassing apparatus forces the seal to deflect and distend below the container top and thus flows rapidly from the spout out through the gassing outlet and past the distended seal into the container.

To overcome any tendency toward leakage upwardly between the cylindrical spout wall and the sleeve surrounding it, I provide a circular external bead which distends the frubber sleeve above the gassing outlet, making the sealing of the sleeve at that point more secure. The beads radial thickness distends the sleeve to a "ice greater diameter than any part of the valve thereabove; so the gassing head when applied, may fit sealingly against the sleeve and give positive security against any possibility of leakage of gas during the gassing operation.

In this specification the terms inlet and outlet are used in their relation to the spout, not the container to which it is aliixed. Thus the lateral constricted flow inlets to the spout are used to dispense the container contents, and the gassing outlet of the spout is used to flow gas into the container.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section and partly fragmentary, of a dispensing valve embodying the present invention; with a gasser head superimposed in position prior to gassing, as shown in dashed lines.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the gasser head, in dashed lines, pressing the valve spout downward during gassing.

The general type of dispensing valve illustrated is that which is normally operated by tilting with the operators finger, thus manually to unseat the valve spout from its seal. Shown mounted in the mouth of a gas-pressure dispensing container a is a mounting cup 10 having a central upwardly-and-inwardly rimmed opening 11. The mounting cup 10 serves as a container top. The level bb 'of the smallest diameter portion of the rimmed central opening 11 is referred to as the level of the container top.

Employed for dispensing is a rigid tubular-walled spout generally designated 12, molded of a fairly rigid plastic material and having a longitudinal axis cc and having at the inner end of the spout an imperforate head 13. Adjacent to its head 13 the tubular-walled spout 12 is penetrated by one or more flow inlets 14; when the valve is opened and the container is inverted the contents of the container flow under pressure into the tubular-walled spout 12 and outward from its tip 15. In the present embodiment, the flow inlets 14 are exceptionally small, to serve as constrictions and limit the rate of flow.

Axially outward of the flow inlet 14 the spout 12 has a smoothly cylindrical wall portion 16 which is surrounded sealedly by the sleeve 21 of the grommet-mount seal member 20 hereafter discussed. The upper end of the sleeve portion 21 abuts a downwardly presented external shoulder 17 on the spout 12, which demarks the upper end of the cylindrical wall portion 16. Outward of the shoulder 17 is a manipulative portion 18 by which the valve is tilted by the user. This portion may extend to the tip 15.

The rubber grommet-mount seal member generally designated 20 includes the sleeve portion 21 which projects outwardly from a radially enlarged and thickened tubular body portion 22. The body portion 22 has at its lower end an annular seating surface 23 against which the valve head 13 seats sealedly for closing and from which it unseats for opening.

The type of valve so generally described but with substantially larger flow inlets, is shown in the U5. Patent No. 2,704,172 to Lapin, issued Mar. 15, 1955. The flow inlets 14 into the tubular spout 12 of the present valve are formed so small as to serve as flow constrictions; so that the flow rate of the valve, once opened by a fairly small degree of tilting, is rendered substantially independent of further tilting. Such constricted inlets would limit the rate :at which gas under pressure might be introduced into the container, if there was no other path of flow.

For purpose of increasing the speed of gassing, to make a valve with such constricted flow inlets suitable for commercial filling operations, I provide a gassing port 24 which extends through the sleeve-sealed cylindrical wall portion 16 of the spout 12. The gassing port 24 shown is an arcuate slot formed in a plane perpendicular to the axis cc of the spout 12. In position with the valve closed prior to gassing, FIG. 1, the port 24 lies above the level b-b where the container top or mount cup has its smallest opening. Its operation during gassing will be described subsequently.

Formed on the cylindrical wall portion 16 above the gassing port 24 is an external circular bead 25. It distends the sleeve portion 21 outward, increasing the force by which the sleeve portion 21 grasps the bead 25. In the present valve the circular head 25 is uniquely constructed to have so great a radial thickness as to distend the sleeve portion 21 to a greater outer diameter than that of the shoulder 17 or any other portion of the valve which may lie upwardly of the head 25.

Gassing is elfected through the spout 12 after the mounting cup 10 is sealedly crimped in place into the mouth of the container a. The gassing head utilized for this purpose is shown in dashed lines. Referring to FIG. 1, pressurizing gas from a source not shown is delivered under pressure (several times as great as the pressure to be introduced in the container) to a gassing head generally designated d. The head d includes an upper plate e having an upper central opening g connected to the pressurizing gas supply; an outer cylindrical shell h, and a central depending hollow gassing tube j which in use extends inside the valve spout 12. The hollow gassing tube 1' extends downwardly from a bored metal pad k (which may be formed integrally with the tube j) aligned with the central opening g. Fitted around the tube 1' where it depends from the pad k is a small O-ring i by which pressure is applied to the dispensing tip 15. An annular member In supported by and within the shell 11 downwardly adjacent to the pad k contains other O-rings n which seal against the outer wall of the dispensing tip 15.

Seated telescopically inside the outer shell 11 and urged downwardly by a coil spring 1 is a hollow telescoping guide member q terminating in a beveled tip r which leads upwardly to an inner cylindrical surface s, sized so as to seal against the sleeve 21 as distended by the bead 25. Above the inner cylindrical surface s the telescoping guide q has a downwardly presented sloping shoulder t which fits against the shoulder 17 of the spout 12.

The functioning of the present valve construction will now be described.

In the gassing operation, the container :1 with the valve in place is brought under the gassing head d, which descends upon it. The beveled tip r of the telescoping guide q preliminarily aligns the container a precisely so that the hollow gassing tube fits within the tubular spout 12. As the gassing head descends it assumes the position shown in FIG. 1, with the inner sloping shoulder t of the telescoping guide q abutting the spout shoulder 17 as the spout tip presses against the O-ring 1' around the upper end of the gassing tube 1'. In this position the inner cylindrical surface s of the telescoping guide q will fit sealedly against the part of the sleeve portion 21 which is distended farthest outwardly by the bead 25 on the spout 12.

As the gassing head d descends further, the O-ring i pressing against the stem tip 15', pushes the spout progressively downward to approximately the position shown in FIG. 2. The contact of the beveled tip r of the telescoping guide q against the mounting cup 10 holds the guide q in place, causing it to telescope with respect to the cylindrical body 2, as is shown in FIG. 2. The downward movement of the spout 12 presses and seals the sleeve portion 21 of the seal member even more securely against the inner cylindrical surface s of the telescoping guide q, as the bead lowers within the depth of the cylindrical surface s. As the spout 12 so lowers, the gassing port 24 is brought down below the level bb of the mounting cup rim 11.

Gas under pressure applied in this position within the gassing tube j will flow partly through the flow inlet 14 of the spout 12; but the greater part of it will flow through the gassing port 24, now below the level of the mounting cup rim 11. The manner which its flow passes the seal member 20 is as follows: The gassing port 24 has such a large arcuate slot-like opening, presented perpendicular to its axis c-c, that the pressure of the gas pushes outward on the resilient grommet-mount seal member 20 to distend it, bending it outwardly beneath the mounting cup rim 11 as shown in FIG. 2. The greater part of the gas to be introduced into the container will thus escape through the gassing port 24 to flow rapidly from the spout, past the distended sea-l member 20 into the container a.

It will be obvious that the deformation of the seal member 20 is substantially the same as if the mounting cup 10 extended flatwise outward from the rim central opening 11. For this reason, the level bb is considered to be effectively the level of the container top; that is, the level at which the seal member 20 will commence its downward and outward bending as shown in FIG. 2.

The present valve construction has proved to be effective even though the stem is not depressed entirely past this level. With the telescoping guide q of the gasser head in place, the sealing of the innercylindrical surface s of telescoping guide q, against the distended sleeve portion 21 outwardly of the bead 25, is very secure. Hence if the gas pressure were applied before the spout reached the lowered position shown in FIG. 2, any tendency of gas to escape upward would be prevented by the sealing force exerted by the inner cylindrical surface s of the guide q, through the seals sleeve portion 21 and against the bead 25.

Beads formed externally on dispensing valve spouts have heretofore been used to distend the resilient sleeve portions of sealing grommet-mounts against leakage while distorted by tilt operation for dispensing; this is shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,779,516 to J. W. Solfer. However, there is no known prior use of a bead so large so as to distend the rubber sufficiently outward to provide a seal with a telescoping guide of a gasser head. The said Softer patented dispensing valve included a helical spring which surrounded the rubber sleeve; there would have been no possible way of having a gasser head press sealingly against the rubber sleeve itself to seal against the escape upward of gas applied at sufiicient pressure to deflect the rubber seal body and escape downward.

The present valve has made possible the quick gassing through spouts whose flow inlets 14 are extremely small. For example, spout inlets may be molded commercially, with very little tolerance, to dimensions of .015" or even less. Utilizing two .018" inlets 14 in dispensing pressurized shaving lather has controlled the dispensing flow rate so that, regardless of a degree of tilt, the flow out from the spout 12 will never exceed a desired maximum rate; such flow inlets 14 are thus true flow-rate metering inlets. They are feasibly used in commercial production with the advantage that pressurizing gas may flow rapidly into the container at a quick gassing rate regardless of the desired dispensing rate.

From this disclosure, modifications of the present invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Accord ingly, the present invention is not to be construed narrowly, but coextensive of the claim hereof.

I claim:

1. A tilt dispensing valve of the type which is depressed axially for introducing pressurizing gas into a dispensing container from a gassing head superimposed thereover, said gassing head having a seal-reacting portion and means for depressing said valve to a gassing portion, which is tilted for dispensing, said valve comprising a container top wall having a central opening,

a rigid tubular-walled spout having inwardly of the container top wall an imperforate head and a discharge-restricting flow inlet through the spout wall adjacent to the head, and having extending through the opening of the container top wall a cylindrical spout wall portion and having a manipulative portion outwardly thereof and terminating in a dispensing tip,

the spout further having an external circular head on characterized in that the bead and sleeve portion are of such thickness as, when the sleeve portion is so distended around the bead, to provide an outer diameter larger than that of the spout manipulative portion and, together with the container top wall, to establish a length of downward axial spout movement for gassing, and in that the sleeve portion has, outwardly of the bead and at such outer diameter, an outer gassing-head-sealing surface, and in that the spout has a gassing port extending through the spout cylindrical wall portion between said external circular bead and said discharge-restricting inlet and normally maintained by the elasticity of the sleeve portion above the container top wall opening and at a height, above the lowermost level at which the seal bore grasps the spout, greater than said length of downward spout movement,

whereby when such a superimposed gassing head depressing means moves the spout axially downward to apply gas through the spout, and the gassing port is lowered to the level of the container top opening but above the said lowermost grasping level of the seal bore, the spout bead compresses the sleeve portion downwardly against the top wall and distends it farther diametrically outwardly against the sealreacting portion of the gassing head, thereby to seal said outer gassing-head-sealing surface against such superimposed gassing head; and while such compression prevents escape of gas through the sleeve portion upwardly from the gassing port, said gas within the spout distends the seal bore at and downwardly from the lowered gassing port and passes into such dispensing container.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,739,841 3/1956 Softer 25l-349 X 2,763,406 9/1956 Countryman 222402.21 3,292,827 12/1966 Frangos 251353 X 3,169,525 2/1965 Bowen 222402.22 X

OTHER REFERENCES German printed application 1,109,970, June 1961, Societe.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primal Examiner.

EDWARD J. EARLS, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 222402.16, 402.22 

